Korean food and I don’t mix. No, not one teensy bit- especially not after a double whammy experience with Kaya Express’ disastrous bulgogi and radish kimchi (Robinson’s Ermita branch) and my mother’s overly fermented bottled Kimchi.
But last week, I was invited to a food event and I gladly took to it, only to know at the last minute, the hosting restaurant was a Korean joint.
We trooped to Clucky’s at the fairly new SM Annex wing with minimal expectations. It is, after all, a modest looking restaurant: utilitarian interiors, but spic and span and spacious enough for a small party of friends.
If you eat puzzles for breakfast, you may have figured by now that Clucky’s is an attribution to its star offering: chicken, particularly the twice-fried Korean-style variety.
Clucky’s is among the burgeoning roster of Philippine-based eateries offering such hot-off-the-rack bird, with a previous branch tucked in Ortigas’ posh Rockwell Business Center. Theirs though, according to the owners, delivers differently from others in the same niche. How so, you ask?
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Soy Garlic Drums (P249 for 4 pieces)
For starters, almost everything off the menu is home made – from salad dressings to chicken coatings to the gelato. The owners craft them from scratch using spices sourced from Korea – a hands-on approach that reflects on the non-commercial taste of the food.
Then there’s the matter of the bird.
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“We use fresh chicken, not frozen. We bring everything straight from home to here, including the chickens.When you order, that’s when we cook the dishes. Nothing’s pre-cooked here so you can be sure they’re fresh,” said Janneleyn Tan, who co-owns and co-manages the store along with siblings Jerome and Jerwin, and cousin Kirby Dy (collectively known as MJ&K Holdings).
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Clucky’s owners Jerome (not in photo), Janneleyn and Jerwin Tan, and cousin Kirby Dy (foreground). A self-professed food-loving family of cooks, these guys are hands on when it comes to Clucky’s. Jerwin crafts the mains with Jerome’s assistance, Janneleyn churns the gelato and the salads, and spunky Kirby, as they say, is the “taster”.
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That said, when you order, expect the dishes to arrive in 15 to 20 minutes. Sounds like a long wait for fastfood-accustomed crowds, but the sweet reward comes when you sink your teeth into the crisp, paper-thin skin. The crust, whose recipe lends itself to that of Clucky’s New York partner, Mad for Chicken, is delicately sweet and clean, but not too saucy or caramelized – both characteristic of some Korean-style chickens like Manang’s.
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| Spicy Combo. Small (4 wings + 2 drums, P249) |
Chicken may be smothered in Soy Garlic or Spicy sauce – your pick.I personally prefer the smooth and garlicky soy coating because the spicy kick interferes with my ability to enjoy the chicken (See why my mother calls me Bicolanang Hilaw). Either way, servings come with your choice of dip: aioli, spicy, and mustard, the latter being my favorite. It is light, not sharp and tangy as one might expect.
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| Soy Garlic Chicken Tenders (Breast Strips) with mustard dip. Small (P119 for 3 pcs). |
For me though, the real winner is the meat. Unlike Bon Chon’s insipid meat (I say that for both their porkchop and chicken), Clucky’s signature flavor hugs the chicken to the core. No grease drips from inside. Surprising, because it is juicy and warm to the bone. Leave the drums on your table for 15 minutes, and you can still see steam when you fork in.
If you aren’t up for chicken, Clucky’s has an array of other Asian fusion cuisines that are worth a try.
Fish fillet
Also slathered in Mad for Chicken special sauce, Clucky’s creamdory fish fillet is non-greasy and crispy on the outside, but moist inside. Fluid, tasty and fresh, it is a suitable alternative for meatarians scouting for healthy options.
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| Fish fillet with aioli dip. Small (P119 for 3 pcs).
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Cheesy Omelettes (P85)
We were served two variants: corn and mushroom, and kimchi. I know. Kimchi omelette?!
I was very skeptical about the kimchi. Very. Yet it turned out to be my favorite dish of the night, next to the soy drums and fish fillet. The eggs aren’t overcooked. Under the flap, it’s a bit runny and smooth, just the way I like it. Their kimchi isn’t odiferous and offensive to the taste buds yet it leaves that tickling sprite on the tongue.
Hate to state the obvious, but I LOVE that omelette.
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| Both omelettes are glazed with Clucky’s home made mayo and catsup, which you can request to be served separately. |
The corn and mushroom omelette’s just okay. It’s sweet – perhaps too sweet for my liking – so I imagine it would be a great bribe for kids who hates veggies.
Bulgogi Rice (P139)
Sweet and generously embellished with strips of tender beef loins, carrots, onions, leeks and sesame seeds in light bulgogi marinade.
Kimchi Rice (P139)
Much like Clucky’s cheesy kimchi omelette, their Kimchi rice is a subtle dish that marries their home made kimchi and soft Asian rice. This is probably what I like most about Clucky’s. There’s that distinct kick of Korean but the food’s so light it lifts off the plate onto your lips.
House Salad (P70/ P119)
There are actually three kinds of salads, the two other being the Chicken Tenders Salad (P85/ P149) and the Spicy Crabmeat Salad (P90/ P159). Shown here is the House Salad, a plate of greens spruced up with a flurry of seasonal fruits and drizzled with sesame ginger vinaigrette. Other dressing choices are spicy mayo, aioli, and honey mustard.
It’s a nice palate cleanser, you wouldn’t even notice the ginger. At all. The pomelo and apple are of course, seasonal, and they change the course every week. Requests are welcome though, so long as they are available. Those little yeses to requests is something I appreciate in restaurants.
Chicken Burger (P75) and Parmesan Fries (P49/ P85)/
Chicken Burger Meal with Drinks and Fries (P135)
The fries, sprinkled with fine parmesan and dried herbs, is crisp and thick but to me it was a wee bit salty, maybe because they peppered it with salt on top of the parmesan. Others argued that that saltiness was the parmesan talking, but I couldn’t help comparing it with salt-free parmesan fries I’ve tried in the past (most notably Tam-Awan Cafe’s). They do away with the salt and I’m all sold.
Pasta
These are up and coming dishes on Clucky’s menu, and we were fortunate to be the first ones to try. Given that, I think there’s still much room for improvement in this area. Cooked al dente but falls a bit short in oomph. Then again, something I look forward to trying out again soon!
Sauteed in soy-based marinade, shiitake, crumbed tofu and minced garlic, the Soy Orient pasta is sweet and nothing but. I take it would be a hit with kids, but it would be much better with a li’l more flavor. Peanuts come to mind.
The Spicy Bolognese is more promising. Cooked in fresh tomatoes; lean, finely ground beef; and a bit of chili spice, each slurp bursts with sour, spicy, no-grease spunk. The pepper’s still a bit raw and you can see specks of it on the ‘oodles, but that can easily be remedied.
Gelato
Hurray! My favorite part of every meal: dessert! As soon as we finished the mains, we were handed five small cups of Janneleyn’s home-churned gelato (P69 per cup). While a bit icier and airier than most gelatos, Clucky’s gelatos are nonetheless smooth and rolls nicely in your mouth. I just wish they didn’t melt as easily, ’cause, well, they’re gelatos.
These cold treats, made from fresh, locally grown products, are excellent for capping off a hearty meal, especially if you’re averted to sugar. They’re not sweet at all. In fact, they’re so light I could finish two in one sitting.
Currently they have five flavors available (L to R) : Coffee Choco Crunch, Oreo Cheesecake, Banoffee, Dark Chocolate and Mango. Usually they also serve Salted Caramel.
The Oreo Cheesecake, with its patchy swashes of Oreo cookie, is creamier than usual, though the cream cheese is one that’s missing a bit. The Banoffee, a mix of banana and toffee; and mango, are both delightfully fruity. Also impressive is the dark chocolate gelato. It is rich, dark and supremely bitter. If you’ve tasted Hill Station’s Dark Chocolate with Cayenne in their Ice Cream Palette Sampler, Clucky’s closely resembles that – minus the cayenne.
My favorite though is the Coffee Choco Crunch. I like the light, premium coffee flavor and the delicious flecks of chocolate chips that I spoon with much glee.
At the end of the night, I am grateful. I entered Clucky’s murmuring “Oh crap. It’s Korean.” in secret, and exited, rather excitedly like a kid, certain that I’ll be back for more Korean this time. Sometimes, you just gotta take chances to find a gem.
Want to try out Clucky’s for free? They have an ongoing 1,000 likes promo on Facebook. Simply like their fan page and get a chance to be one of five lucky winners to receive P200 worth of Clucky’s GCs! For more details, check out this link:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=525376404154509&set=pb.267417356617083.-2207520000.1385386350.&type=3&theater
The Oreo Cheesecake, with its patchy swashes of Oreo cookie, is creamier than usual, though the cream cheese is one that’s missing a bit. The Banoffee, a mix of banana and toffee; and mango, are both delightfully fruity. Also impressive is the dark chocolate gelato. It is rich, dark and supremely bitter. If you’ve tasted Hill Station’s Dark Chocolate with Cayenne in their Ice Cream Palette Sampler, Clucky’s closely resembles that – minus the cayenne. 